It was a quiet night inside a large house in Antipolo. Teresa sat on the sofa watching her two children, Mika and Leo, happily playing on a tablet. Outside, heavy rain could be heard. In the kitchen, the sound of pots and pans could be heard. Ramon, the pillar of the home, was cooking.

At first glance, it seemed like the perfect family. A husband who had gone to the trouble of cooking for his mother and daughter after a long day at work. But to Teresa, all of this was a terrifying spectacle. Two weeks had passed since Ramon began to change. Before, he couldn’t even cook. Now, he served dinner himself and strictly forbade anyone from entering the kitchen while he was preparing food.

Teresa’s suspicions began a week ago, when she noticed a strange white stain on the side of the sink. That same night, while Ramon was fast asleep, Teresa secretly rummaged through her husband’s briefcase. What she expected to find were receipts for gambling debts that she had been hiding for a long time and that were the cause of their fight. But what she found made every hair on her body stand on end.

Aside from a small vial of colorless and odorless liquid hidden in Ramon’s sock, Teresa saw three thin folders. These were new life insurance policies named after her and their two children. The beneficiary? Ramon himself. It was worth fifty million pesos.

Teresa trembled with fear and intense anger. She thought about packing up and running away with the children, but she knew Ramon would find them. She knew her husband—he had connections and wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. He needed a careful plan. He needed to be smarter than the demon they shared the same roof with.

From that day on, every dinner became a battle of wits. Teresa pretended not to know. She ate in front of Ramon with a smile. But what the man didn’t know was that every time he turned his back to get cold water or beer from the fridge, Teresa quickly replaced their plates. As for the children, Teresa made sure to feed them snacks before Ramon got home, so they often ate only a little, which Teresa quickly threw away when her husband wasn’t looking.

Tonight was the final stage of their silent battle. Teresa had seen the vial in the trash this morning that was empty. This meant that Ramon had poured the last drop of poison into tonight’s dish.

“Your favorite Beef Caldereta is cooked!” Ramon announced happily from the kitchen. He was carrying three plates. He placed one in front of Teresa, and two in front of the children. His was left on the counter.

“Wow, that smells so good, Mahal,” Teresa said sweetly. “By the way, before we eat, can you get me some soy sauce and calamansi? I’d like it a little salty.”

“Of course. Just wait,” Ramon replied and happily walked back to the kitchen.

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story

Within three seconds, Teresa had accomplished her secret mission. She quickly took Ramon’s plate from the counter and exchanged it for the plate he had served her. She also cleared away the children’s portion and replaced it with a clean dish from the pot. When Ramon returned with the sauce, Teresa was already sitting properly, holding a spoon and fork.

“Thank you, Mahal. Let’s eat,” Teresa’s nanny said.

Ramon took his plate. He took a big bite. He smiled as he chewed, looking at his wife who was also taking a bite. In Ramon’s mind, this was the last night of his troubles. The next day, he would wake up rich, debt-free, and without a family to support.

Five minutes passed. Ramon continued eating when he was suddenly stopped. He let go of his fork. His forehead wrinkled and his face suddenly turned pale.

“Honey? Are you okay?” Teresa asked, the calm tone in her voice never losing its calm.

Ramon clutched his chest. His hands began to tremble. He tried to breathe but it felt like something was blocking his throat. His eyes widened when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach that felt like his insides were burning.

“T-Teresa… t-the water…” Ramon ordered harshly. Sweat dripped down his forehead and white foam began to come out of his mouth.

Ramon fell from his chair onto the cold floor of the dining room. He writhed in pain. He looked at Teresa, pleading. But to his surprise, his wife didn’t even get up. Teresa just sat there, looking at him coldly, holding the glass of water he had been asking for.

“Why aren’t you crying, Ramon?” Teresa asked in a low voice, as cold as ice. “Did you expect me to be the one on the floor right now? Me and your children?”

Ramon’s eyes widened, slowly realizing what had happened. He tried to raise his trembling hand to point at his wife, but he no longer had the strength.

“I saw the insurance policies, Ramon. I saw the poison,” Teresa continued as a single tear rolled down her cheek—not out of sadness, but out of anger. “I change our plates every day. You eat your own death every day. You want to kill us for money? Now, you’ve killed yourself.”

Ramon’s eyes widened in extreme fear and shock. He wanted to scream, he wanted to call for help, but his body finally gave in. One last groan escaped his mouth before the greedy family man finally lost his life.

Teresa calmly took her cellphone from her pocket. She called the emergency hotline.

“Hello? Help, my husband… he suddenly collapsed while we were eating,” Teresa acted as she sobbed. “It’s like he had food poisoning or a heart attack! It’s like you’re so pitiful, hurry up!”

She put down the phone and wiped away her tears. She looked at her children who were safe and wondering what had happened in the other room. They were safe. The dinner that should have killed their mother and father turned out to be the end of the monster that had destroyed their trust. In the end, it is proven that no greed can triumph over a mother who is willing to do anything to protect her children.